The times, they are achangin
by Paige Terner
Summary: High school graduation means change. Alexis is ready for change. But there was one that she didn't see coming.
1. Chapter 1

******Title: The times, they are a-changin.**

******Summary: High school graduation means change. Alexis is ready for change. But there was one that she didn't see coming.**

******Disclaimer: I don't own most of the characters I write about. If you recognize a name, odds are it isn't mine. But seeing as this is a fanfic website, you probably knew that already.**

**Thanks again to Sunshiny-Kate, the best beta a writer could ask for****!**

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Alexis was exhausted. No other word would describe it. But she was also excited. Lanie had told her she could stay in her internship, and she was starting back in the morning. The elevator opened up and she headed for the door to her apartment, pulling her keys out as she walked. While putting the key in the lock, she noticed several small stains on the floor, like some liquid had dripped all over and not been cleaned up. Figuring her dad was the cause, she shrugged and went inside. Almost subconsciously, she prepared herself for an attack, just in case her father had some sort of trap set up to get her back for her recent laser tag trickery. But she was far from prepared for what she saw when the door swung all the way open.

The two people sitting on the couch across the room were oblivious to her arrival. The brunette facing away from her was actually straddling her father's lap, much to Alexis' chagrin. She could see Castle's hands roaming wildly over the woman's back, sometimes disappearing under the curtain of long, disheveled hair. The pair was seemingly unaware that anything existed but the two of them. So many questions filled the teenager's mind, and time seemed to stop. She had no idea how long she stood there before she shut the door behind her, the noise ripping into the silence of the room.

Her father and his guest startled and clambered apart, the woman nearly falling to the ground in her hurry. Castle grabbed her around the waist to steady her until she could get her feet up under her and stand. They turned to face Alexis, who sucked in a shocked breath when she realized who the woman who'd been making out with her dad was.

Beckett's cheeks blazed red as both of them stared at Alexis, unspeaking and with heaving chests. Castle closed his mouth with a snap and swallowed hard, but still said nothing. Alexis turned her attention solely to Beckett, and it was then that she realized the gray sweatshirt she was wearing belonged to Castle. Why was she wearing his clothes? Had she been there all night?

"Alexis." Beckett breathed out, her voice heavy with embarrassment. "I...we, um..."

Castle reached out and grabbed her hand, and to Alexis' surprise, Beckett didn't pull away like she would have expected her to. Instead, she wrapped her fingers tightly around his, squeezing gently. They glanced at each other, and after sharing a swift nod, they both grinned and looked back at Alexis.

"How was your night, Pumpkin?" Castle asked nonchalantly, as if it were totally normal for him to be standing there hand in hand with the woman Alexis knew he loved.

"Good." She replied slowly, the answer sounding almost like a question. "And yours?" Her eyes darted back and forth between the two adults. "Actually, don't answer that, Dad."

"Alexis." Castle cleared his throat before continuing. "As you can see, a lot has happened since you left last night." He briefly held up his hand that was still joined with Beckett's.

"This is something we're going to take day by day." Beckett added. "But it is something both your father and I want." She smiled up at Castle, then turned her grin back to Alexis. "We want to keep it to ourselves for now, let it just be ours while we figure out how to make it work." She bit her bottom lip, obviously not pleased with her choice of words. "What I mean is -"

"What she means is that this is just a family thing for right now." Castle interrupted, drawing a thankful, relieved sigh from Beckett's chest. "We wanted you to know, I'll tell Mother when she gets home, Kate's going to tell her dad. But no one else needs to know right now. This is new territory for all of us, and it's going to take some adjusting, some getting used to."

"Exactly." Beckett picked back up. "But while we go through that, we want to keep it private." Something flashed in her eyes, a mix of worry and trepidation. "For everyone's benefit."

Alexis studied them a moment, knowing there was something they weren't telling her, something she assumed had to do with a case, maybe even Beckett's mother's case. She decided not to push for information that she wasn't even sure she wanted.

"So, I shouldn't talk about it. That's what you're saying?"

"Well, yes." Castle nodded. "That's what we're saying."

"Alright." Alexis shrugged and headed for the staircase.

"Wait, where are you going?" Castle called out.

"I'm really tired, Dad. I'm just going to bed to get some sleep. I need to be well rested when I go back to work with Dr. Parrish in the morning."

Alexis noticed a shift in both of them. Beckett bit her lip again and Castle bounced lightly on his feet, but they still kept their hands locked together.

"You didn't forget that I was still going to be in my internship, did you Dad?"

"No." Castle shook his head and smiled, but it seemed forced. "I didn't."

"Good. See you later."

And then Alexis was gone, her steps light and quick as she went upstairs. She could hear the voices she'd left behind, but couldn't tell what they were saying. Reaching her room, she flipped the light on and shut the door, then kicked her shoes off in the general direction of her closet to be put away later. A few minutes passed as she brushed her teeth and hair, washed her face and changed into some pajamas. She went back towards the door to turn the light out and heard a knock as she reached for the switch. With a frustrated sigh, she opened the door and looked up into the deep blue eyes of her dad.

"Hey." He smiled. "I know you want to go to sleep, but can I come in for a minute?"

Alexis merely nodded her reply and went to her bed, pulling the covers down as she waited for him to keep talking.

"Want me to tuck you in?" He joked as he walked up behind her.

"Dad." She groaned. "I'm an adult now. I don't need you to tuck me in."

"Okay." He sat down in the chair by her bed. "So, you had fun last night?"

"I didn't drink or do drugs." Alexis huffed out as she flopped down on the edge of the bed.

"That's not what I meant." Castle sighed and leaned back in his seat. "I just wanted to know if you enjoyed yourself."

"Yes."

"Good."

Alexis crossed her arms.

"Did Detective Beckett send you up here?"

Castle's face scrunched up in a grimace that confused Alexis, then he shook his head.

"No, she didn't send me up here."

"Well, shouldn't you be with her then?"

"Kate went home, Alexis."

"She didn't have to leave just because I came home."

"That's not why she left." He paused, like he wasn't sure if he should say what was on his mind, and Alexis jumped in.

"Dad, you're both adults. If you want to do whatever it is you're doing with her, then don't let me stop you. I'm not going to tell you to be careful anymore. Of course, you're the one always saying it's a bad idea to sleep with someone you work with. But what you do is up to you."

"Alexis, first of all, Beckett went home because she wanted to. Not because you're here or because she's running off." The twitch of Alexis' mouth told Castle he'd hit the nail on the head, confirmed that his daughter was worried that Beckett was going to leave him and break his heart. "Second of all...she quit."

"She quit what?"

"Her job. She resigned. She isn't a detective anymore."

"What? Why? Did she find her mother's killer?"

"No. She just decided she wanted something else more."

"Really?"Alexis furrowed her brow. "I thought that was the biggest thing in her life."

"It was." Castle replied softly.

He waited quietly as he watched her process his information, let her brilliant mind work it all out at her own pace.

"So." She began a minute later. "She choose you."

It wasn't a question. It wasn't disbelief. It was nothing more than acceptance.

"Yeah." He smiled, the expression goofy and free. "She finally choose me."

"Why are you keeping it a secret, Dad?"

The grin dropped off his face and he sighed deeply, the exhalation ripe with distress.

"It was her idea." He explained. "To keep everyone safe."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The man who shot her is still out there. The people behind her mother's murder are still in power." He shrugged. "Beckett figures, and probably rightly so, that if they knew we were in any sort of relationship other than work partners, they might come after us too."

"Us being you, me, and Grams?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "But I promise you, everything is fine. The main thing they want is for her to stop investigating. She's not a detective anymore, so they get what they wanted. She still wants to keep things on the down-low for a while. Just to be sure."

"Okay." She smiled. "I trust you, and if you trust her, I do too."

Castle moved from the chair to sit beside Alexis on the bed. He held his arms out and she leaned into his embrace, wrapping her arms around him. He set his chin on top of her head and squeezed him arms tightly around her. They sat that way for a few moments before Castle broke the silence.

"I hope you know this without me having to say it, but just in case you don't, no matter who else comes into my life, you're always my number one girl."

"I know." Alexis whispered against his chest. "I love you."

"I'm glad you know." Castle murmured as he kissed the crown of her head. He let go of her and leaned back, smiling broadly at her. "And I love you too, sweetheart." He stood up and started for the door. "Sleep well, Alexis. I'm glad you're home, and I am so proud of you."

He reached for the light switch, but Alexis spoke before he could turn it off.

"Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah, Pumpkin?" He replied as he turned back to her.

"Could you tuck me in?"

"You bet." He grinned.


	2. Chapter 2

******Title: The times, they are a-changin.**

******Summary: High school graduation means change. Alexis is ready for change. But there was one that she didn't see coming.**

******Disclaimer: I don't own most of the characters I write about. If you recognize a name, odds are it isn't mine. But seeing as this is a fanfic website, you probably knew that already.**

**Thanks again to Sunshiny-Kate, the best beta a writer could ask for****!**

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_A/N - Several folks wanted more, so here is a little something extra to sort of wrap up the story. There is a line or two in this chapter that I based on my speculations from a behind the scenes season 5 photo. I suppose they could technically be considered SPOILERS by some, so I am covering my bases here. Thou hast officially been warned. Thanks for reading!_

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"Dad, you said she quit! You said she was done!"

"Because she did, and she was."

"And now she's not?" Alexis crossed her arms. "It's been two whole days and she's already changed her mind?"

"She doesn't have a choice." Castle sighed, frustration and exhaustion mixed into the huff of air.

"We always a choice! You taught me that. And you told me she choose you. Did she get tired of you already?"

"All right, that stops right now. I know you're angry and scared. But that doesn't give you to right to lash out at her or to say that kind of thing about her."

Alexis dropped her arms to her side and stared at her father for several silent, tense moments, then crossed the room and flopped down on the couch. Castle followed her, but sat far enough away so that he could turn and face her without touching her. She didn't look at him, but he started talking anyway.

"Alexis, sweetheart, listen. Kate didn't ask for this. Any of it. She didn't ask for her mother to be murdered, she didn't ask to be betrayed, she didn't ask to be shot. She didn't ask for the explosion yesterday and she didn't ask for Smith to show up dead."

"I know that." Alexis whispered, then glanced up at him. "But why does she have to go running back to the precinct the moment something happens? Especially when it has to do with the one case that could get her, and us, killed?"

"Because she thought leaving was enough. Just like I told you the other day, she thought, and I did too, that if she were to leave well enough alone, they'd leave her alone, leave us all alone."

"Well, obviously they disagree with your line of thinking."

"Yeah." Castle chuckled involuntarily, then cleared his throat. "She told me that since leaving wasn't enough to protect us, she is going back to face them head on again."

"She said that?"

"She did. Alexis, she cares about you and Grams. This isn't just about her and I. She would do anything, and I mean anything, to protect the two of you."

"What about you?"

"Of course I'd do anything to protect both of you too." He looked mortified. "You don't doubt that, do you?"

"No, Dad." Alexis said hurriedly. "I meant would Detective Beckett do anything to protect you?"

"Yes." He replied without hesitation. "She would lay down her life for all of us. Although I hope she never has the opportunity. But Alexis, she's already risked her life more than once for me. And she risked her life for Grams too, at the bank."

Alexis thought for several long moments, then took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as she leaned back into the couch cushions.

"Will it be just this one case?"

"What do you mean?" Castle asked her gently.

"After this case, with Smith and her mom, all that, then will she really quit?

"I don't know. It won't be as dangerous, since there won't be people gunning for her directly. So maybe she'll stay. Maybe she won't. I just don't know."

"She hasn't told you?"

"Well, we've been busy since Smith's body turned up, so we haven't exactly had time for a heart to heart. Plus, I don't think she even knows what she plans to do yet. She is just focusing on this case. The whole team is."

"What about you, Dad? Will you stop going to the precinct after this case?"

Castle swallowed hard, the words suddenly heavy in his throat.

"I don't know that either, Pumpkin." He leaned back too and held an arm out. Alexis gave in to his silent request and scooted over to curl up by his side, laying her head on his shoulder as she settled in. He wrapped his arm around her. "But as soon as I do know, I'll tell you. Deal?"

"Deal. I'm sorry for yelling at you, and for implying that Detective Beckett would leave you. I'm just...well, like you said. I'm scared and I'm angry, but I'm not angry at her. I'm angry at the people doing this to her and to us."

"I know. I'm sorry you have to go through all this. You have your internship on top of trying to get ready for school. It's a lot to handle, and you didn't ask for any of it either." He kissed his favorite spot on top of her head. "Oh, by the way, Alexis," He paused as she turned to look up at him. "you know you can call her Kate, right? You don't have to call her Detective Beckett."

"Just habit." She halfway shrugged.

"Well, whatever you feel comfortable with is fine. And we are going to be fine. This will all work out. I promise."

"I know." She lowered her head back down, letting out another sigh. "Hey, what did you mean earlier when you said Detect-, Kate, didn't ask to be betrayed? Who betrayed her?"

Castle grimaced, finding himself thankful Alexis couldn't see his face. Naturally, she didn't know about Montgomery's involvement in all this, and he wanted to keep it that way.

"A lot of people over the years." He said, hoping that was enough for her. "Just, this and that. I've even betrayed her trust more than once when it comes to this case. And other things."

"Well, if that's so, maybe now you can make up for it."

"I certainly plan to try."

"When do you have to go back to the precinct?"

"Beckett is setting up the security detail at her dad's place. She is going to call me when she is done there." Castle explained. "So, I don't know for sure."

"Want to go get some dinner?" Alexis sat up, pulling out of his embrace. "Then when you get her call, you can go with her and I can go back to the morgue."

"Didn't you work a full shift earlier?"

"Yeah. But I want to help as much as I can. The more brains we get on this, the better."

"I love you, Alexis." Castle smiled. "You amaze me every day, in so many ways."

"Love you too." She stood up. "And you amaze me all the time too, though, not always in a good way."

"Hey now." He stood up alongside her. "Keep that up, and I'll make you buy dinner."

"That's fine with me." Alexis raised an eyebrow. "I still have your credit card from when I went school shopping yesterday morning."

"I knew I let you hang out with Mother too much."

Alexis chuckled and headed for the door.

"Come on, Dad. Crime solving makes me hungry."

A boisterous laugh burst from deep in Castle's chest as he fell into step behind her.

"How's pizza sound? " He asked. "I could really go for a nice, cheesy slice."

"Sounds good. Where do you want to go?"

"How about Terrific Authentic Nick's?"

"Didn't they have a dead body in their ovens once?" Alexis' face skewed up with a look of disgust.

"No, that was just Authentic Nick's."

"Okay then. T.A.N. it is then."

"Oooh...TAN pizza." Castle's eyes lit up. "Now there's an idea. A tanning salon that serves pizza. It could bake on top of the bed while you bake inside it, so it is piping hot and ready to go when you're done!"

"Yeah, or not." Alexis opened the door. "Don't quit your day job, Dad."

"Which one?"

"Either of them." She replied quietly.

Castle knew exactly what Alexis was telling him. And he knew even more now than he did before that everything was going to work out just fine. It would be a bumpy road with many twists and turns, but the journey was going to be half the fun. He couldn't help but smile broadly as he followed her into the hall.

"We should try the 'eat an extra super large pizza in under twenty minutes' challenge." He locked the door and headed towards the elevator.

"Did you forget what happened last time you participated in an eating contest?" Alexis asked from behind him.

Castle gagged slightly at the memory.

"Point taken." He pressed the button for the elevator. "A medium sounds about right."

"I concur."

A ding announced the arrival of the elevator, and they stepped on together when the doors opened.

"Want to try anchovies?" Castle suggested as Alexis hit the first floor button.

"Dad, I'm officially revoking your decision making abilities for the day."

"So, that's a no to the tiny fish?"

"Yeah, that's a no."

Both Castles were laughing as the doors slid shut.


End file.
